Macbook working but screen is black

[Paul Werp]

All,

I had a problem with our macbook. the screen went black even though the mac booted up properly -- from the startup sounds.

I took the back cover off and checked the power connector -- it looked just slightly angled out so it probably was getting intermittent power [over last 2 weeks it would come on and but sometimes not until it died completely today].

Anyway, once I took the back cover off from the back [above the battery] and made sure the connector was secure it worked fine now.

Might be a good tip for someone vs the time to go to the apple store [especially for someone living in the south of france

Paul

 

[Skald]

Display goes black

Thanks for the tip, Paul. Happened to me, too, and still does sometimes. Actually, not black, but at the dimmest possible level (it took me a few times to realize that the display was actually on.

Apple suspected an inverter cable, but before doing the $190 US repair, after opening the Macbook, they discovered water damage, which would have sent the bill too high for me ($800 US). But the laptop dims less frequently now, perhaps because they opened it up, or perhaps because they replaced the keyboard and track pad (free).

Another tip for anyone who finds that tilting the display back and forth can fix or cause the dimming: if you cannot open the display far enough to be usable, turn the Macbook off, open the screen to the desired angle, and then turn it back on.

This is working for me so far, but I'm looking into replacement. Using an external display is another workaround, of course.